really dude. you're going to start union bashing right before i go to bed? one of henrys factory rats here. its not our fault. if the unions hadnt been here we would all have been speaking chinese a long time ago. same old story, im an hourly guy at ford so im lazy and RICH, right? easy to say when you dont live here. i make a real good hourly wage thats for sure but im far from rich. i live in a 900 sq ft bungalow, drive a 15 year old car. if i didnt have luck on my side and find parts cheap i wouldnt even be building a hot rod.
Anyone ever bsen to a baseball game or concert downtown Detroit? We are a proud bunch of derelicts, huh?
Back on point, I used to get to the D for work regularly about 8 years ago - I always enjoyed the visits, people were great and the history is amazing. Which makes some of these pictures even more of a bummer. But I am pretty certain the people of Detroit don't want our pity, just a little respect.
I used to live in MI, not to far from Detroit. I hate to see pics like these. I am still bummed about Tiger Stadium. Lots of history and cool archeticture. Google image the train station, one of the coolest buildings in Detroit
Wow, what beautiful Architecture. Makes me want to move ot Detroit and start trying to clean up some of those. I know about the crime rate and detritus ridden aspects. But my goodness it looks like an opportunity to me for some cool living in great architecture. Too bad employment is so scarce around there, I bet it starts to come back. There is just waaay to much good stuff there. My Grandma was from Wyandotte during the golden age of Detroit and was a life long Tiger fan, It rubbed off on me. Tim
Great pictures and history. They say the Packard plant was once a mile long and that the old Fisher body paint booth still has the overspray on the walls. The Ford and Chrysler plants here in St.Louis didn't even get to rot in peace. Ford is completly gone and Chrysler plant is slowly being ripped down. Those two plants were major job market for St.Louis. The Union bashing really? Go in and work a line job build 575 cars in a day in 100* temp then say they don't deserve the money! Retired Ford union. It is sad!
great photo's but i always hate to see what happens to historic buildings that are left vacant. the 2 pic's that really got to me are the ones from the elementary school in 2008 and then again in 2009. it looked like a bunch of people thought it would be fun just to destroy history.
I would think it was s****pers, those chairs were cast frames. Someone got a lot of weight out of there.
I agree. All the lights were gone as well. Although Im not a s****per, I did see a lot of money sitting in that old dentist office photo.
I wrote an article on my website about the drastic effects of the economy on the historic homes and neighnorhoods of detroit. Most of the homes formerly owned by prominant people in the automotive and industrial industries. You can view the article here: http://vividlyvintage.com/2010/08/18/detroits-abandoned-mansions/ Thanks, Skrach www.VividlyVintage.com
fantastic photography but what amazes me is the stuff left behind like in the dentists office and the public library. Almost a statement on todays throw away society.
The per-capita income of Detroiters was once the highest in the country. I heard recently that the current population of Detroit has fallen to what it was in 1911. According to a city representative, Detroit has 60,000 buildings in need of demolition. Most people don't know that before cars became the big business in the area, the city was know as the home of the country's largest producers of cast iron cooking and heating stoves. Prior to that it was railroad related manufacturing. At one time Detroit was a big deal. At this point the most notable statistics relate to crime, corruption, and deterioration.
Some people are fighting to save a piece of Detroit they call home. http://www.hapblog.com/2011/06/signs-in-detroit-neighborhood-warn-of.html
How about whats left behind in the DPD crime lab. http://www.freep.com/article/20110527/NEWS01/105270414
I used to live there,(8 years) got out in 89 and even after i knew it was time to GTFO..I still did Business there for the 2 major Rail Road companies, rehabilitating their ***bling Concrete Bridges..and GM's Boilers My garage with tools & harleys and a perfect 68 dodge charger were arsoned, and put me in Detroit Burn Center for 3 weeks..it was time for me to go Have been aproached by a certain demographic with a Trench coat on in August(he wasnt a flasher if you catch my drift?)..On a bridge job My Company was repairing, I used body language to notify him that I wouldnt be an easy take down..he continued on, thank God! I have customers ask me if I pack, I have asked how they feel if I said yes, All of them feel a bit better, because mostly their companies policy is that they cant.. I dont stop for gas, and i dont use any of the services in the City, or any of the food stops or party stores. But I do carry an extra magazine,, and it isnt Hot Rod or Kar Kulture I have been in tons of Historical land marks, and asked to look at "fixing" some of them...most of them too far gone for any thing to ever come of them.. stick a fork in it as far as im concerned, it aint coming back, at least not with the failure of who's running the place and how its been for the past 30 or so years..its been going down for a long time..they can have it
my dream to photograph right there. it's moving...and powerful. makes you think about how wonderful and hardworking this country used to be. now we rely on China and mexico and the middle east from our cars to our clothes.
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